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Learning Assistants

Benefits of Working as a Learning Assistant

Beyond finding fulfillment in helping others, our Learning Assistants become more confident learners and grow increasingly comfortable with the material they tutor. They reinforce concepts that help them strengthen their foundation for more advanced level studies and their own future endeavors.

As leaders on campus, our LAs' talents and accomplishments are appreciated by NYU faculty and administrators. Oftentimes they are asked to work directly with professors, strengthening those relationships. The academic success and professional development of our student staff are just as important to the ULC as the success of the students that are tutored.

Learning Assistants also form a close community of bright and ambitious students that support each other in school and beyond. ULC alumni have gone on to Teach for America, law school, dental and medical school, and graduate school, and have secured positions in banking and finance. They have won numerous awards, including the Fulbright Scholarship and the Paul and Daisy Fellowship for New Americans. We're proud of our ULC family, and hope you will join our team!

Roles and Responsibilities:

All Learning Assistants must attend a series of training sessions, beginning with the All-Team Training at the beginning of each semester, and continuing with specific sessions throughout the academic year.

Learning Assistants are also responsible for keeping up with material for any and all classes which they tutor. (Please note that preference is given to candidates who can tutor multiple courses.)

LAs will be given scheduled shifts for walk-in tutoring hours, and are expected to maintain these shifts weekly throughout the semester. Shifts can be anywhere from two to six hours long, and multiple shifts may be assigned per week. While on shift, students will see students on a walk-in basis, answer questions through our on-line platform, develop or prepare for workshops, or work on other projects as assigned.

Through training and tutoring hours, all of our Learning Assistants are required to and will become eligible for ITPC Level 1 Certification (International Tutor Program Certification) (also known as CRLA Certification - College Reading and Learning Association). Opportunities also exist for higher levels of certification.

In addition to walk-in hours, Learning Assistants are responsible for fulfilling TWO of the following roles each semester:

Workshop development and facilitation (*can be done multiple times to fulfill the roles-requirements of a Learning Assistant)

Qualifications

Currently enrolled as a full-time matriculated undergraduate student in good academic standing at NYU. Consideration could also be given to students enrolled in the Postbaccalaureate Prehealth Studies Program.

Sophomore, Junior, or Senior status by start date.

Minimum 3.5 grade point average within major and overall.

Recommended by two references. Two academic references preferred.

At least one recommendation must be from a professor at NYU in any of the subjects in which you would like to tutor.

The second reference should also be from a professor, but can be an NYU administrator (advisor, Dean’s office, etc.) or a supervisor from a part-time job who can speak to your qualities as a potential ULC Learning Assistant.

Taken and earned a grade of “A-“ or higher in the course(s) for which you would like to tutor.

Comfortable working in a collaborative group environment.

Remuneration

Pay begins at $13.00 per hour for all qualified Learning Assistants.

Application Instructions:

Part 1: Complete and submit this online application form according to the timeline below. You will not be able to save your application to complete later, so prepare to complete it in one sitting. Before you begin your application, read the instructions here.

Part 2: Resume -- Submit as an email attachment to University.Learning.Center@nyu.edu according to the timeline below.

Part 3: Download this Scheduling Grid and send the completed form to University.Learning.Center@nyu.edu according to the timeline below.

Part 4: References - Two required. One must be from a professor at NYU in any one of the subjects you would like to tutor; the second reference should also be from a professor, but can be an NYU administrator or a supervisor from a part-time job who can speak to your qualities as a candidate for the ULC. References should NOT be from relatives.

Please copy and paste this linkand email it to your recommender. Please remember to note whether or not you have waived your right to see their recommendation in your email.

Read what some of our distinguished alumni have to say about their time at the ULC!

Working at the ULC helped shape me not only as a leader within that community, but as a student and teacher. The learning center fosters an academic and supportive environment that carried me through three years of grueling papers and taxing exams. It also kindled my academic passions by allowing me access to and friendship with some of the brightest and dynamic students on campus. My experience at the ULC is what taught me how to break down concepts for others, and in doing so understanding them better myself. It is what led me to consider myself a teacher, someone who has something to offer others. The learning center stands not only as one of the best experiences of my college career, but also as one that helped determine my future.

Working at the ULC was enjoyable for so many reasons. It introduced me to some of the brightest people at NYU, who were not only smart, but very fun to be around. It helped hone my skills as a tutor because of the constant influx of students coming through the ULC and, most importantly, it cemented my desire to teach science at the university level.

Afaaf Shakir, Class of 2012, Learning Assistant 2010-2012, currently at Stanford School of Medicine.

I loved my time at the ULC. Some of my closest friends in undergrad stemmed from working there. It's a great environment to teach and learn in, and (for those planning on going to med school) tutoring premed classes is a perfect way to start pre-studying for the MCAT. I see myself in the future working in academic medicine, so working in the ULC was a great opportunity to learn my own teaching styles and begin to explore my own professional identity.

Emma Gilmore, Postbacc Class of 2012, Learning Assistant 2011-2012, beginning medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

One of the best memories of my interview day [at Columbia] is that I encountered three ULC people in quick succession before interviewing! Seeing them and feeling their support and enthusiasm was so important and helpful for me that day and I really think it had an effect. The ULC community made my post-bacc experience so much more meaningful than it ever could have been otherwise and I'm so grateful for that. The experience taught me to become more receptive and energetic both in and out of the classroom, and it will help me be better at both learning and teaching for the rest of my life.

Erika Ryan, Class of 2011, Learning Assistant 2008-2011, currently at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

It was only after I graduated from NYU that I started to appreciate the profound impact that working at the ULC had on my college experience. The ULC forged a deep sense of community between all tutors and the students we tutored, initiating long-lasting relationships with the people who are my best friends today. The people I met there gave my time at NYU a sense of purpose and transformed my approach to learning by showing me—over and over again— that two minds are always better than one. Working as a tutor made me realize the value of collaboration, which inspired me to co-write my Senior Honors Thesis with a fellow ULC tutor. Looking back on college now, I realize that turoing made it possible for me to interact with like-minded people and work with others on an intimate academic level. It’s difficult to forge a community in a large university, and I’m so grateful that the ULC made one for me!

Wilfredo Matias, Class of 2010, Learning Assistant 2008-2010, currently at Harvard Medical School and recent recipient of the Soros Fellowship.

Working at the ULC for two years was one of the most meaningful experiences of my undergraduate career at NYU. I looked forward to going to work because I always had fun with my colleagues, the tutees, and I always ended up learning as much from those that I helped as I hope they learned from me. I encourage everyone to come down and take advantage of the wonderful resources and fun learning environment at the ULC.